Student-Focused Events and Opportunities
“Things That Really Matter” Cohorts
“Things That Really Matter” student/faculty mentoring cohorts (20-30 people) meet once a month, gathering around a table for lunch and conversations of significance.
Next Lunch: April 16, 2025
Students receive chapel credit for participation.
Saunders Center Global Learning Trip to Ireland
On May 15 – 29, 2025, Dr. Richard Beck and Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick will co-teach a course exploring the notions of the Good Life, Contemplative Spiritual Practices, and Celtic Christianity. Taking a cue from Beck’s book, Hunting Magic Eels, they will explore how the Celtic Christian tradition, with its deep reverence for nature, mysticism, and the sacralization of the everyday, can help modern Christians reconnect with a sense of awe, wonder, and reverence for the divine in the world around them. In this unique Saunders Center offering, students will follow Beck and Frederick on a journey that takes them into the heart of ancient spiritual traditions that will reinvigorate their current Christian practices with a sense of mystery and attention to the sacred.
Thirteen students have signed up for this unique course offering.
Theological Songwriting Workshop
During the Fall 2025 semester, Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick will teach a ministry workshop in Theological Songwriting for the College of Biblical Studies. Students will co-create songs for worship and devotion that are musically compelling and spiritually formative for the church.
Racial Justice and Human Flourishing Honors Colloquium
During the Spring 2026 semester, the Saunders Center will be hosting an honors colloquium on Racial Justice and Human Flourishing over the MLK weekend. This travel course will explore the history of the U.S. Civil Rights movement, racial justice, and healing as they relate to human flourishing and the building of a multicultural, beloved community.
This course will be open to students in the Honors College.
“The Shape of Joy” Video Curriculum
A video-based curriculum for The Shape of Joy is being created for small groups and churches to utilize. The Introductory video and Chapter 5 of this series may be viewed on Vimeo. Dr. Beck is likewise creating a college-level curriculum on The Shape of Joy for use at ACU.